Hey Folks! To make it a lot easier on you, I have created links for you to click on to view my articles on this page. So if you do not feel like scrolling down just click on the title. Thank you for visiting my page.



---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday, February 28, 2010

 

Preventable Mistakes

Technology has come a long way over the years and has drastically affected every aspect of our lives.  We have gone from 8 tracks to I-pods, from using maps to “googleing” directions, and from sending telegrams to speaking on cell phones.  Same is true of the boating and fishing world.  Boaters now have on board sonar to monitor real-time weather, they have fish finders to help them find their fishing grounds, and they now have GPS and chart plotters with maps to ensure they do not get lost.  Even though technology has stretched our limitations and possibilities, it has also made us become dependent of it, so dependent that we can easily find ourselves in a bad situation if the technology we depended on was to fail.

I have learned this lesson the hard way one afternoon when I decided to go fishing in dense fog with Russ, a fishing buddy of mine.  Because my GPS had the charts and the maps of the coastal region we were fishing, I felt very comfortable making the 2 mile trip through open water to the islands we intended to fish. 

I finished unloading my kayak, turned on my GPS, marked the launch location and started paddling.  At the two thirds of the way there I tried contacting Russ through my radio but there was no answer.  I pulled my phone out of the dry box and gave him a call and found out that he had forgotten his radio at home, had arrived an hour earlier, and was probably north of my location. 

I put my phone away, checked my GPS to make sure I was on the right course, and continued paddling.  I could see the silhouette of land begin to appear 25 yds in front of me and was happy that I had arrived at my location so I could finally start fishing.  I looked down at my GPS find out where exactly I was and noticed a blinking light on the upper right hand corner of the screen.  It was the battery indicator telling me I was almost out of batteries.  I looked back to see if I could spot the glow of lights in the distance but darkness was all I could see.  “Must have forgotten to charge my batteries” I thought, and this really sucked.  I turned off my GPS and gave Russ a call to let him know what the situation was.

We decided that it would be best to try to meet up and venture the trip back to shore together.  Since I was in the southern part of the island, turn on my headlight and stay put, and Russ would turn on his headlight and head south. 

I made a few casts as I waited and ended up catching a couple nice trout.  Then I got a call from Russ saying that he ran out of shoreline.  Somehow we passed each other and didn’t even notice!  I knew visibility was bad but I never realized it was that bad.  I said “oh well”, and decided to make the paddle back.  I looked around to try to get my bearings.  I noticed that it was a half moon and that the half was pointing south east.  I could barely see the moon but it would be enough of guidance to make sure I was headed in the right direction.  So using the moon as a reference I started my paddle back I tried turning my GPS on when I thought I was at least half way there, but it died before it could finish powering up.

I continued paddling using only the moon and started seeing the glow of lights from the shoreline.  I sighed with relief as I continued paddling to the shoreline. Once I was near I started fishing my way back up to the launch.  With the launch in sight I spotted Russ making his way to the shoreline.  With our gear loaded up we started to discuss everything that went wrong.  Fortunately this happened to us in the best of locations.  The outcome of the trip would have been much different in the backcountry, or in a location that we didn’t know as well. 

In retrospect, I made many mistakes, in foggy conditions I should have had a compass as backup instead of relying solely of my GPS.  Also, I should have charged my batteries before the trip, but I had fished there so many times without running into a fog that dense that I got careless.  I should have had an extra set of batteries with me.  I should have carried a small blow horn because the whistle I had on my life jacket was not loud enough. I should have checked the local forecast instead of only looking at the wind. 

It was a good reminder to always be prepared, be cautious, and never get careless.  In the end, it doesn’t matter if you spend time on the water in the boat or a kayak, you must treat your time on the water with the great caution and respect or it could cost you a night in the mangroves or more.

After that trip I have made an addition to what I always carry in my kayak, this is my current lists of “needs” that I don’t leave home without:

·         Paddle (Yes! I have forgotten it at least 3 times before and not realized it until I get to the launch)

·         Life Jacket

·         Whistle

·         VHF Radio

·         Compass (New addition)

·         GPS

·         Dry Box

·         Float Plan (Always let someone know where you are going, when, and when you will be back)

·         Charged Cell Phone

·         Extra Batteries (New addition)

·         Small Air Horn (New addition)

·         Fishing License

·         Camera

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

    It’s been a few weeks since I have managed to post anything.  There does not seem to be enough time in a day to do everything I would like to accomplish.  Recently, some of us got together to participate in the Ft. De Soto clean up conducted by the Tampa Bay Watch.  I was very happy to have been able to participate and even though I had pulled a all nighter fishing, I was more than willing to do what I could to give back to an area that I enjoy so much.

 I was self appointed camera man during the trip for the part on the water that Adrian could not cover because he did not bring his kayak.  I promised to get the photos I took to him, and I figured better late than never.  Here are a few of them, enjoy.

 

6/14/2009

                I have wanted to apologize to the people that have taken their time to check my page on a regular basis.  I have not been able to post on a regular basis due to lack of time.  In 6 weeks I have been able to fish twice due to 11-13 hour days Monday-Friday at my internship and work, and 8 hour days Saturday and Sunday.  Some of my responsibilities will be ending in a couple of weeks which will give me more time on the water and more time to write.  I figured if you still take your time to check my page, I owed you an explanation and an apology.  I also wanted to thank you all for continuing to check back, I assure you in the next 2-3 weeks the situation will change and I will be able to get you guys the info, reviews, and reports that you deserve.

                Having said sorry and thanks, I wanted to share with you my recent days on the water.  I ended up going out with Gary for some fishing.  I just bought a new Tacoma and was excited to use it to transport my kayak.  It made loading and unloading much less time demanding and easier, I don’t know how I went so long without a truck.  The bad part about the day is that the weather did not cooperate and it was gusty and rainy.  Gary ended up catching a bunch of trout and I caught a tinny redfish.  We got tired of being in the gusty wind and rain so we called it a day.  Of course as soon as we were done loading the kayaks up the rain cleared and the west winds stopped blowing.  We didn’t get any great pictures, but I did get a few of my new truck.

 

                About a week later I managed to get out on the water with Ryan (Redfisher).  We had our hearts set on catching tarpon but because of the west winds decided to try our luck another day and do some inshore fishing.  The day started out slow but as we waded the flat we came across and area holding fish.  Ryan and I both hooked up almost simultaneously, both fish were nice snook and both fish ended up throwing shaking our topwater lures loose.  Ryan was especially disappointed since his snook was probably in the upper 30” range.

                A few casts later resulted in a few upper slot redfish, but after that the solunar had ended and with it, the bite also came to a crashing halt.  A couple hours later we called it a day.  The fish today were caught on spook Jr’s and zara puppies.

Thanks for reading, and keep it hard core

 

I remember when I bought my first kayak; I was amazed that it did not come with a paddle.  I remember the awkward silence of standing there waiting for the kayak shop owner to attach a paddle to the boat, and he sat there with the same bewildered face waiting for me to take the boat after I told him I would buy it.  After a few seconds I asked “does it come with a paddle?”…  “No” he replied, and told me most kayaks do not come with paddles and most people end up picking as specific paddle depending on what their paddling style.  Of course, at the time I thought a paddle was a paddle, and bought the cheapest one available at the shop.  I didn’t know much about it at the time, but it turned out that every paddle isn’t for everyone.

Photo By Gary Trabant from Split2ndphoto.com

                After a few trips with some friends I realized how exhausting it was to paddle, so I did a little research and it turned out that I bought the opposite of the paddle I should have gotten.  I am not trying to say that you should buy the most expensive one on the market; there are some high dollar paddles that would be terrible for a kayak fisherman.   But there are a few characteristics of the paddle that you should look into before you buy one.

Weight:

I have owned everything from an aluminum shaft paddle with plastic blades, carbon shaft with plastic blades, full fiberglass, and now I have a full carbon paddle. The reason why I have upgraded my paddle so much is simply because it makes a noticeable at the end of the day.  Then again, I usually paddle 7-12 miles a trip, but regardless of the distances you paddle, it will notice a difference on the water and when you get off the water.  Your paddle is the engine of your kayak, and the lighter the weight, the more performance you will get.  An aluminum shaft plastic blade paddles are about 42-54 ounces.  Carbon paddles and fiberglass paddles can range from 23-35 ounces.  You might say what the big deal?  12-16 ounces difference (2/3 lb- 1 lb) isn’t a big deal.  But if you plan on paddling more than 3-4 miles it will add up. 

A light paddle isn’t just for people that blow through nautical miles.  It will be the determining factor whether you feel invigorated after your day on the water and ready to do other things with the rest of your day, or dragging yourself from your kayak to your car with your shoulders feeling like mush, and being done with everything for the day besides a nap.

Pat, the owner of Onno Paddles put it this way: 

“Please humor me. Yes you can buy a plastic paddle for 40.00 or less. But. What if you could travel farther with less effort or paddle for even an extra 15 minutes just because your paddle boosted your efforts? What is that time worth to you? How about in your profession? The extra expense is made up fast.

Real world #s:        1stroke = L-R-L
40oz. plastic Vs.  25oz. ONNO Signature = 15oz. x 20 strokes per minute = 300oz. x 60 min. = 18,000oz.
That's 1125 pounds per hour you are swinging around needlessly. Hey, you just filled 22, fifty pound bags of sand with your hands on your leisure time. Or 1500 cokes”

It’s hard to argue with that, but same as with rods, you have to put into account how much use you plan on getting out of your paddle when you decide how much to pay for one. 

Paddle Blade:

One thing to keep in mind before you buy is the shape of the blade that suits your style of paddling.  I have heard people who tried a paddle that is nicer than theirs and not really liked it as much as their original paddle, but I am also willing to bet that the blade design of the paddle they tried is different from the one they are use to.

There is a lot to paddle blades, but this is the basic idea:

The wider your paddle, the more "bite" it will have.  You will accelerate faster, and is better for people who make powerful short strokes.  Sounds great right!  But the downfalls are that it is harder to maintain your paddling speed and is more tiring after a day of paddling.

The narrower a paddle blade is, the less "bite" it will have.  This means that you will be less fatigued maintaining your comfortable paddle speed.   The downside is that it will not accelerate as fast and it will require a few extra strokes to get to this speed. 

My advice for you is find the lightest paddle you can afford with the blade that suits your paddling angle for the way you paddle and the distance you cover, it will make a difference, after a few long trips or trips in the wind you will be happy you did.

There are other elements that come into play: bent shaft, straight shaft, symmetrical blades, asymmetrical blades, low angle/high angle, and the list goes on.  Do some reading about it before you decide and make sure to try out your friends paddle when you get a chance.  It is always good to swap paddles for an hour or so because you never know what works for you until you try it out.

 

Be easy, and keep it hardcore,

 

Jose Chavez

Back to Top

The two things I am excited about now is just having bought two new kayaks.  The first one I bought is an Emotion Grand Slam to replace the Heritage Redfish 14 I previously had.

I am very excited about this new boat; it has exceeded my expectations of it.  So far I have noticed that it is much faster than the Redfish 14 and is less affected by the wind.  Also I am very happy with the layout of the boat and how comfortable it is to fish in it during extended periods of time.  It is also very quiet, making no hull slap like the Redfish.

Another thing I was absolutely amazed with is how well the water drains out of the boat.  I thought the Redfish 14 was a dry ride, but the Grand Slam has redefined dry kayak for me.  The water effortlessly drains out of the scuppers and does not make a little puddle in the cockpit like the Redfish 14 did.  Another plus of this is that my reels will need less maintenance because when I have a rod sitting in front of me, the body of the reel will not be sitting in a little puddle.

The only thing about it that I am disappointed about is that the factory rudder is the crack of dawn rudder, which is an economy rudder.  It’s great for the price, I had one on my Redfish 14 and it got the job done but I was looking for something a little sturdier and more refined, so I opted not to get it and buy a Ocean Kayak Big rudder instead.  The install for the rudder turned out to be a pain since the bracket could not be modified to make it fit and I had to recruit the help of a master craftsman (Ryan aka Redfisher) to make me a custom mount in order to get it to work. 

The only other downside I have found with the boat is that water seems to get in through the center hatch in the cockpit into the inside of the boat.  It’s really not a problem in calm weather, but if in rough weather or heavy rain during extended periods of time, it might become a problem.  Ryan had owned a Grand Slam before me and he suggested a solution that worked out well.  It was to use neoprene tape and silicone caulk to seal the hatch.  I will post picture of this soon.

I have only been able to take the boat out on a couple of trips, so I will write a more detailed review about it in the future.
Photo by Adrian Correa

             

  The second boat the cat drug in is a 2009 tarpon 160.  This boat has been redone for 2009, and to be honest, I was a little skeptical about buying it and getting rid of my tarpon 160i.  The reason I was skeptical about it is because from looking at the new hull, it appears to be possible that this boat will not be as fast and will be more affected by the wind than its predecessor.   The reason I had a tarpon to start out with is because I needed a long trip/ windy day boat, and the 160i fit this bill perfectly. 

                The only downside to the 160i was that after long days it turned out to not be the most comfortable boat to be in.  Even though the new Tarpon 160 might not be as fast, it is supposed to be much more comfortable and I can already tell that the deck layout of the boat is much more user friendly.  These observations have been made without having paddled the boat yet.  I plan on taking it out next week to see how it does, expect a more in detail review of the boat soon.

                         
Blue 2008 Tarpon 160i pictured left and tan 2009 Tarpon 160 pictured right.

Back to top

__________________________________________________________________________________________

April 10, 2009

Finding the Perfect Rod

By Jose Chavez

 

                A question that I commonly see asked is “how to pick the perfect Rod?”  I once asked myself the same question, and left my house determined to find that perfect rod.  After hours in the tackle shop I found myself unsure of what I wanted since there seemed to be a limitless number of choices.  I got tired of being there and made a decision.  What I thought would be a great rod for a certain application,turned out to be mediocre, and I was still determined to buy something better.

                After years of fishing and buying dozens or rods I found out that picking the “perfect rod” does not have to be a frustrating ordeal.  It can be much simpler if you ask yourself the right questions.

How often do you fish?

               Do you fish a few times a year, a couple times a month, are you a dedicated weekend warrior or are you a serious tournament fisherman?  How frequently you fish should be the first thing you should consider.  Why?  Because how often you fish will have a direct impact on how much you should budget toward a rod.  It would be silly to spend hundreds of dollars on your rod if you are only going to use it a couple of times a year.  Then again, if you fish multiple times a month and spend extended periods of time on the water, then you might want to look into mid to high end rods, since they will be lighter and more sensitive, making your time on the water less taxing and more enjoyable.

Where do you fish and what do you target?

                Where you and what you fish for will greatly affect what rod you chose.  Do you fish the flats and backwaters, do you fish docks and bridge pilings, do you fish the intercoastal or do you fish offshore? These are all questions to consider carefully because they each call for rods with very different characteristics, and most of the times when a rod is designed, it is designed with a certain application or niche in mind.  Often times it is difficult for a rod to function well outside of its intended use.

 In flats and backcountry fishing, finesse and stealth will often make the difference between tricking the spooky reds and suspicious snook, or just catching a couple of trout.  In this scenario you will be throwing lighter lines to be less noticeable and increase your casting distance in order to have a greater chance of fooling highly pressure fish.  Also, there is not much structure for that fish to break you off so you can get away with lighter tackle.  In contrast, if you throw a broomstick all day on the flats, you will find yourself getting more fatigued after a day on the water and not enjoying the fight when you winch in that 26 inch trout, slot red, or snook.

                Structure oriented fishing and fishing the intercoastal require a whole different approach.  In fishing structure like docks, often time you want a stouter rod which will give you a greater chance of turning that monster from his desperate sprint to a piling. There are finesse approaches to structure fishing that we will discuss in a later time, but these will not work in every application in which case a shoulder to shoulder battle is your only option.  Similarly, on the intercoastal you will occasionally encounter larger game fish like cobia and tarpon for which you will need a stouter rod to have a fighting chance.

Rod specs and techniques?

                Another area that is frequently overlooked is the specs of the rod needed and the intended technique you plan on using the rod for.  I have seen countless times people using a rod that is rated for 12 pound line spooled with 20 lb mono and they wonder why they can’t cast very far or why their rod broke.  Also, I have seen people throwing a 1/8^th once jig on a rod that is rated for 1/4^th to 5/8^th or a 1oz plug on that same rod.  In these situations people often think “I don’t like this rod” or “this rod stinks” but really, there is nothing wrong with the rod, the problem is that it is being used incorrectly.  It’s like trying to hit a bowling ball with a golf club and wondering why it didn’t go very far.  It is amazing how much better you will like a rod if you get match the blank to the rest of the equipment you are using. 

So what is next?

                Now that you have thought about these questions you are ready for the next step which is going to the store and picking up the rod.  Before you do, there is still one more important thing to consider: “What action and power rating should I be looking for?”   All rods are not created equal, and it was done for a reason.  There is a right combination in action and power that will make a rod shine at the application you are using it for.  I will be discussing this on part two of Finding the Perfect Rod. 

In part two,  I will explain the difference between the action of a rod and its power rating, discuss what combination of action and power works best for certain techniques, and give you examples of good rods for different techniques. 

Hope this gives you some insight on your search for the perfect rod and come back next week to the next installment of Gear-N-Reports.

Back to top